Let the passion flow: City slicker Vijesh Rai picks Negri to win

15/10/2000

By Vijesh Rai

Timesport pick -- Lazarus Rokk (Negri Sembilan), Jugjet Singh (Negri Sembilan), S Navalan (Perak), Fazil Mahmud (Negri Sembilan), Hussin Rahman (Perak).

NEGRI Sembilan are not a great team. In fact, they are nowhere near being a great team and they may never beone but they certainly deserve their place in tonight's Malaysia Cup finaland they most certainly deserve to win it as well. Simply because Negri have tried, persevered and most importantly, daredand these are traits that are missing from the Malaysian game today. Add to that pride and passion and Negri have an impressive arsenal thateven the likes of mighty Selangor, with their present and pastinternationals, can't claim to have. Negri, as do all teams, crave success for it is the name of the game andit should be for winning, it is said, is everything and Negri certainlyknow about that. It is the approach however that matters. In their pursuit of honours, Negri spent as lavishly as the otherambitious sides the last few seasons but it brought them nothing butheartache as the silverware eluded them and when everything else failed,they decided to try it the traditional way. Out went most of the previous brigade and in came a virtually unknowncoach in Zaki Sheikh Ahmad and many players still wet behind the ears. The idea was to progress slowly but in taking this gamble, Negriunwittingly stumbled on the formula that has put them on the road tosuccess several years before they actually expected anything. Aware that his inexperienced side are lacking in many aspects, Zaki hasinculcated in them a love for the game, pride and passion. Moreimportantly, problems have been settled without the usual fanfare as theteam have always taken precedence to that of individual pursuits. Deep down in their hearts, Negri know that they trail Perak in most, ifnot all, departments but there is something different about them. The players, and this includes the likes of established stars like AzmanAdnan and Khairul Anuar Baharom, genuinely seem to want to win. There is nothing of the arrogance or cockiness that you tend to get inother silverware contenders and neither is there even a hint of blamingeveryone else but themselves when things go wrong. There has been no finger-pointing despite the intense pressure the teamcame under in Premier One and most of the players still can't believe theywill be playing in the Malaysia Cup final. For them, it is prestigious and something that they only dreamed offsince the days they kicked around for fun. And this is where Malaysian soccer on the whole stands to gain. Negri advancing to the final has, in the state at least, revived themagic of the Malaysia Cup and this is timely. The game is in danger and more teams like Negri, who were willing togive youngsters a chance, are needed if the national side are to get outof the rut they are in. Advancing to the final has put the underdogs one-up and if Negri wintonight, Zaki will become the first local coach since Chow Kwai Lam in1989 to win the Malaysia Cup. Negri to win it because they deserve it.